Tokyo & Hokkaido rail pass?

Hi there! I'm currently planning my third trip to Japan which will include a visit to Hokkaido for the first time. I'm looking at various rail passes for the trip and it looks like the JR East-South Hokkaido pass might be perfect for what I want to do, but I'd like to check that it will cover everywhere that I want to go.

My itinerary is as follows:

Arrive in Tokyo on September 1, spend 2 nights in Shinjuku visiting friends and day trips to Enoshima/Mount Takao/Chichibu or Kawagoe
Depart for Hokkaido via rail on September 4
Spend 2 nights in Lake Toya onsen, visit Noboribetsu
Depart Lake Toya on September 6 for Sapporo, spend 2 nights in Sapporo, visit Otaru & Asahikawa
Depart Sapporo for Tokyo via rail on September 9
Spend last 2 nights in Tokyo for work related things, depart on September 11

I have some niche interests so I'm pretty settled on the locations I want to visit and my method of travelling (not interested in flying from Tokyo to Sapporo). What I'd like to know is if the JR East-South Hokkaido pass will cover the day trips I'd like to do from Tokyo, as well as my travel to Hokkaido via shinkansen, and then also travel from Sapporo to Otaru and Asahikawa. If not, any suggestions for a different rail pass would be super appreciated!

Also, it seems early September is peak typhoon season! Has anyone got any advice on what to do if my trains to/from Hokkaido are cancelled? I have purchased travel insurance, will that cover needing to rebook hotels and whatnot? Also general advice for what to do if a typhoon hits would be great :)

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply!

Yes, it should work for that trip. Just make sure you don't waste too many of your 6 days on cheap side trips. You will want to ensure you have the rail pass days for the long expensive trips, to/from Hokkaido/Tokyo.

Those side-trips from Tokyo are very cheap out of pocket (under 1000 yen each way). You may want to save two days of the pass for the N'EX if you are flying in and out of NRT airport. That will save you 3000y each way (or 4000y round trip).

Also, be prepared to pay local bus/subway/other private rail fares out of pocket. The JR rail passes do not cover those.

I do think the JR East South Hokkaido Rail Pass will definitely pay off for your trip. Definitely better for you than a regular full country JR pass, as it is good for 14 days to cover your trip.

travel from Sapporo to Otaru and Asahikawa. If not, any suggestions for a different rail pass would be super appreciated!

Sapporo to Otaru is covered, but to Asahikawa is not covered. Sapporo to Asahikawa by limited express train takes 85 min and 4810 yen while the bus takes 125 min and 2060 yen.

https://hokkaido-labo.com/en/sapporo-to-asahikawa-12820

I am afraid there is no rail pass which covers Sapporo to Asahikawa except for the nation-wide Japan Rail Pass which is by far more expensive then the JR East South Hokkaido Rail Pass.

Thanks Me2 and frog1954 for your responses! Much appreciated!
Do you happen to know if public transport around Hokkaido will accept IC card as payment?

Thanks for the heads up about Asahikawa as well - so it would make best sense to purchase the East-South rail pass and then pay for the trip to Asahikawa separately, rather than get the nation-wide JR pass?

Do you happen to know if public transport around Hokkaido will accept IC card as payment?

In general, IC cards are acceptable within the metropolitan area. In Hokkaido that means within Sapporo (including surrounding cities such as Otaru). So you can not use them for long transportation such as from Sapporo to Asahikawa. There are two IC cards for Hokkaido, Kitaka (JR based) and Sapica (non-JR based). I guess you might consider Suica, which is interchangeable with Kitaka, which covers JR lines, Sapporo metro, and Hokkaido Chuo Bus lines (including in Otaru), but out of Sapporo city area you must pay by cash or by credit card (for example from Sapporo to Asahikawa).

so it would make best sense to purchase the East-South rail pass and then pay for the trip to Asahikawa separately, rather than get the nation-wide JR pass?

Yes. It depends on where will you stay in Sapporo, but if you stay in Susukino Area, bus might be the better choice for traveling to Asahikawa.

https://hokkaido-labo.com/en/sapporo-to-asahikawa-12820

pay for the trip to Asahikawa separately,
I did exactly that by bus, which is cheaper than train, comfortable and free wifi on board.

In general, IC cards are acceptable within the metropolitan area. In Hokkaido that means within Sapporo (including surrounding cities such as Otaru).

Also now in Hakodate. https://www.nimoca.jp/about/area/hakodate

I think this is how you may best spend your pass

Day 1 narita to tokyo
Day 2 tokyo to lake toya
Day 3 lake toya to sapporo
Day 4 sapporo to otaru
Day 5 sapporo to tokyo
Day 6 tokyo to narita

Thank you for the new responses and sorry about the slow reply!

Hendra, that breakdown is very helpful, thank you. Since I'll be flying into Haneda (and out of Narita), should I spend the extra day on a day trip to, say, Enoshima?

frog1954, thanks for the tip, I'll definitely look into the bus as I will indeed be staying near Susukino (well, near Nakajimakoen station specifically). Would you recommend the Sapica over the Kitaka, would it have wider coverage? Otherwise I already have a Suica from previous travels :)

Finally for anyone who happens to glance at this thread, any tips for how a solo female traveller might be spend their time in the evenings around Sapporo/Otaru/Asahikawa?

Not sure why people are referring to travel on six different days, the JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass is only valid for five travel days. For 19,000 yen it is pretty economical for a round-tip Tokyo-Sapporo.

I did also notice 4th to 9th would allow you to use the 7-day national JR pass for the same return and also include Asahikawa and as that round trip is almost 10,000 yen by Limited Express (reserved seating) that covers the difference in price between the two passes.

Not sure why people are referring to travel on six different days,
the JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass is only valid for five travel days.

That is simply another pass.

The pass here asked about is JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass,
which is usable also in and around Tokyo,
sold at 26000 yen / 27000 yen outside / within Japan,
and valid for the 6 selected days during the 14 days from the day of issuance.
The six days for this pass are not necessarily consecutive.
http://www.jreasthokkaido.com/easthokkaido/e/

Your itinerary's Sapporo -- Asahikawa leg
is mostly outside the validity area of this pass,
with only the section Sapporo -- Shiroishi covered.

A combination of this pass and a discount ticket (for your Asahikawa trip)
sounds suitable for your itinerary.

that round trip is almost 10,000 yen by Limited Express (reserved seating)
that covers the difference in price between the two passes.

The difference in the price is not the difference in the actual cost.

To obtain a (7-day Ordinary Class) Japan Rail Pass, you pay
a handling fee
+ a transportation fee to visit the sales office or a delivery fee
in addition to the pass itself (about 29000 yen).
The 7 days for your Japan Rail Pass are necessarily consecutive.

When you purchase a JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass,
as long as you can visit JR East Travel Service Center in HND
on Day 1 during the business hours (6:45 - 20:00),
you pay just for the pass itself (27000 yen).

Round-trip Non-Reserved Seating Discount Ticket (S Ticket)
: 5080 yen for Limited Express train rides from Sapporo to Asahikawa and back without seat reservation.
http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/pdf/e-direction03.pdf

Asahiyama Dobutsuen Kippu
: 6130 yen / 7170 yen for
Limited Express train rides from Sapporo to Asahikawa and back
without seat reservation / with your seats reserved
+ bus rides from Asahikawa Sta. to Asahiyama Zoo and back
+ admission to Asahiyama Zoo.
http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/pdf/e-asahiyama201904.pdf

@omotenashi - I was looking at the cheaper JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass and maybe I made an error in looking at options. Both passes would normally require a handling fee depending on where you buy from.

26,000 yen (27k in country) for the other pass reinforces my view the regional passes are badly priced unless you specifically can make use of them well versus the national pass. and extra 3,000 yen to have 7-days unlimited travel versus 26,000 for 6 days limited - if it was me, the 7-day pass works fine, but I pay full price, so I use other methods to discount my trains - I spend an awful lot on trains every year.

However, I find many people expect there will be lots for savings if they select the correct pass. The difference is actually pretty small, and the fixation people have with rail passes ignores the other costs (time/inconvenience) they face. Irrespective, the round trip to Sapporo means tourists get a real bargain.

Passes that must be used on a small number of consecutive days, such as the 7-day nationwide pass, are what causes the large number of insanely packed itineraries we see here.

Heading a little off topic, but many people only have a week to travel and the 7-day pass is quite good for people doing something like a Tokyo-Sapporo round trip. The issue is less about the length of the pass (there are shorter ones around), but people wanting to cover particular places that are widely spread (and then discovering it costs money to go 500km to see something). Another factor is that some of the incremental costs or potential savings are actually quite small and while some passes provide flexibility, other times they introduce some quite significant negatives (which is why our company is moving away from the JRP for some of our trips - the additional cost outweighs the inconvenience).
You also get people on forums (like on TA) to add in long day trips (Kyoto to Hiroshima) to help "justify" the cost of passes. That is false economy if you we not going to go there in the first place.
Also, different people have different travelling speeds and styles. Most of the trips we do have two or three night stays in many places. Only occasionally do we string single night stays together as over-nights are more to break up travel or visit something specific that has been requested.
The schedule the OP has includes the majority of their long term travel within 7-days for a visit to Hokkaido. I don't think that is especially rushed.

Hi

Enoshima and kamakura is a very beautiful place. However, the pass does not cover till this area.
I ended buying the 2 day kamakura pass.

I actually think you can consider going from haneda to lake toya directly on day 1 and only stay in tokyo after returning from sapporo. This will be less transfer time for you assuming you flight is not too late.
And you will still have 1 day pass left to use as you see fit, for example if you decided to visit hakodate